Safety stop for trains



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G. E. FRAZIER. SAFETY STOP FOR TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-I8, I921- Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- GEORGE E. FRAZIER, OF M'U'NCIE, INDIANL ASSIGNOR F IiiEO FELL, OF MUNCIE, INDIANA.

TWO-FIFTHS TO ROBERT SAFETY STOP FOR TRAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

Application filed August 18, 1921. Serial No. 493,397.

T 0 all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, Gnonen E. Fnnzrnn, a citizen of the United States. residing at Muncie, in the county of Delaware and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Stops for Trains, of which the following is a'specification.

The object of this invention is to provide means to automatically stop railway trains provided with an air-brake system, by setting the brakes, to prevent collisions between trams moving on the same'track or between trains moving on tracks that cross each other.

A further object is to provide a mechanism that may be easily and inexpensively applied to brake systems already in common use. and which may likewise be applied to and worked in conjunction with the somaphore devices now usually employed.

I accomplish the above and other objects which will hereinafter appear, by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1, is a vertical section through. the cab of a locomotive steam engine with my brake control inventiouapplied. on the line 11: of Fig. 2, except that the semaphore is at the left of the engine instead of to the right as in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 isa cross section on the line 2 -2 of Fig. 1, but with the semaphore located to the right-of the engine, to illustrate the range of adaptability in that regard. Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section of the closure to the air-discharge for releasing the pressure and setting the brakes andFig. 4' is a top plan view of the mechanism shownin Fig. Figs. 3 and 4 are on a larger scale than the other. figures of the drawings. Fig. 5, is a plan view on a reduced scale, of two railway tracks crossing each other and diagrammingthe watchmans tower and semaphores operated from said tower in the usual manner and with my invention added thereto.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several'views of the drawings.

' Extendin from the main air reservoir (not shown of the locomotive engine 6, is the pipe 7, from which the train pipe hose 8 leads to the air brakes on the cars (not shown) in the usual manner. Connecting with this air system, here shown as by connection with the pipe 7, and terminating .force is then required to rock above the roof of the cab, is a pipe 9 which terminates with an enlarged seat 10 for a valve-plate 11; and in order topositively seat the valve-plate and hold it from displacement by the pressure of the air in the pipes, I provide a lid 12, which is hinged to the seat 10 at 13, and has a diametrically opposite arm 14, which is preferably slightly channeled to provide a shallow seat for a holding member, here shown as cylindrical pin-extension 15, from an arm 16, at right angles with and a part of a rock-shaft 17, mounted in suitable bearings 20, 20, supported by the top of the cab. A similar arm 16' extends up from the opposite end of shaft 17, and when the valve is in its closed position the arms 16 and 16 stand vertically, and the pin-extension is above the arm 14 of the lid in the seat formed in said arm to receive it. A set-screw 18 passes through a suitably screw-threaded hole in the lid 12, into cont-act with the plate 11, in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 3, and when tightened forces the arm 14 against the pin 15 and the valve-plate into its seat. Considerable the shaft 17 sufliciently to swing the pin 15 out of engagement with arm 14,.and such force is secured by providing an arm 21. at the usual semaphore mast of the railway signaling system, which will be dropped down in the path of one or the other of the arms 16 or 16, depending upon which side of the engine the particular semaphore mast may be located, when the danger light or signal is to be displayed.

This must-arm 21 has an inner short arm -which is connected by rod 23 with a bell crank lever 24 at the foot of the mast, and lever 24- is connected with the usual manually operated signal-setting mechanism at a. central tower 25 in the usualjmanner. Se cured to the arm 21 is a plate 28 which cooperates withred and green lights 29 and 30,respectively,"to cover the red light and display the green one when the arm is raised, and to cover the green light and display the red one when the arm is lowered.

In the operation of my invention the exhaust of the brake-setting air to atmosphere is prevented, except when the engineer disobeys a signal, by the plate 11 being seated in seat 10, and there held by the mechanism above and. 16 of the rock-shaft 17 are vertical.

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described, in which the arms 16 I lowered and ho'rizontalposition across the path of one or the other of said vertical arms. But it the engineer obeys the signal and stops the train properly the signals are changed for him and arm 21 is raised to the obli'cpie position shown by the dotted lines in *ig. 2, which allows the trip-arms l6 and 16 to pass without striking said semaphore arm. But should the engineer fail to heed the towermans signal the arm 21 is contacted by one or the other of arms 16 or 16 and the brakes are set and the train is stopped, by the opening of the air valve. It is then necessary for the trainmen to reset the, valve mechanism and valve trip, here shown as located above the cab, which is the most convenient place, but obviously it might be located elsewhere without departing "from the spirit of this i11- vention.

While I have here shownand described the best form of my invention now known to me, many modifications may be made and will occur to those skilled in the art, and I therefore do not desire to be strictly confined to the disclosure here made, but what I claim as new and wish to secure, is-- 1. The combination with a railroad train having an air-brake system, of a valve in the air system, hinged means for holding the valve closed, a rock-shaft having one or more arms and means on the arms to hold a hinged means in closed position of the valve, and trip means in the path of an arm in one of the positions of the arm to open the valve by contact with the arm.

a 2. The combination witha railroad train having an air brake system, of an air valve in said system, means for holding the valve closed comprising a hinged member and a locking member having one ormore arms, and a means adapted to be moved into the path of one of the arms to contact and move the arm to release the valve.

.3. The combinationwith a railroad train having an air brake system, of an air valve in saidsystem comprising a valve seat, a valve plate in said seat, a lid fulcrumed to the valve seat member and crossing the plate, rock-shaft having an arm with an extension from the arm to limit the movement of the lid away from the plate, an adjustable bearing between the lid and plate to force the plate into its seat, and means 10- cated alongside the track adapted to be moved mto the path of the roclr shaft arm andmove it to release the valve.

4. Thecombination with a railroad train having an air-brake system, of an air-valve in said system comprising a seat, a valve plate in the seat, a lid hingedto the seat member and crossing the plate, a set-screw through the lid against the plate, a rockshat't having one or more arms one of which arms has an extension positioned above the lid to resist the action of the screw in separatingthe lid and plate, and means located beside the track to release the valve by the contact of one of the arms of the rock-shaft with said means.

5. The combination with a railroad train having an air-brake system, of an air-valve in said system comprising a seat, a valveplate inthe seat, a lid fulcrumed at one side to the valve-seat member and having an extension on the other side, a set-screw through the lid against the valve-plate, a rock-shaft having one or more upwardly extending arms one of which arms has an extension engaging with the extension of the lid in anapproximatelyvertical position of the arm to resist the action of the screw in separating the lid and plate, and a means beside the track adapted to be moved into the path of one of the arms of the rockshaft to contact the latter and swing it to cause is extension to release the lid and permit the valve to open.

6. The combination with a railroad train. having an air brake system, of an air-pipe connected with said system, a valve seat in said pipe, a valve-plate removably seated in the valve-seat, a .lid hinged at one side to the valve-seat member said lid having an arm extension on its side opposite the hinge and said arm having a depression, a set screw passing through the lid and contacting the plate, a rock-shaft mountedin bearings and having one or more upwardly extending arms one of which arms has a finger which is seated. in the depression of the arm of the lid, a means located beside the track and adapted to be moved into the path of one of the arms of the 'IOdk ShilfbfiIld move the arm and vtree the lid thereby releasing the valve-plate.

Signed at Muncie, Indiana, day of April 1921.

GEORGE rnazmn.

this the 8th 

